This week I’m reviewing Sculpty. Sculpty is an augmented reality app that allows users to create virtual sculptures and place them in augmented reality. If you are not familiar with the concept of augmented reality, it is where objects that reside in the real world (e.g. your environment) are enhanced by computer-generated graphics, sounds, etc. (e.g. digital media). You may have encountered this type of technology before if you, or your children, have played games like Pokemon Go, or used shopping apps that allow you to preview how furniture or other items will look in your space before you buy them. Augmented reality art apps allow users to generate content and see it in their space through a device like their phone or tablet. Artists like Mel Chin have even used augmented reality to create art in museums and public spaces, including New York’s Times Square.
Screen shot of an augmented reality sculpture created with the Sculpty app.
Sculptures in the Sculpty app are made from three-dimensional models of geometric forms (e.g. cubes, spheres, cones, etc.) that the user decorates by selecting a color, drawing a design, or uploading a photograph to act as a skin for the form. The forms can then be scaled to different sizes and arranged to make a sculpture. Users can then take screen shots or screen recording of their work as stand alone art images and videos or incorporate them into other art projects (digitally in other apps or by hand).
Intended Use: The app is intended for making art.
Target Audience: The app is listed as being appropriate for ages four and up, however, the complexity of the interfaces and concept of augmented reality are more appropriate for teens and adults.
Usability: There is a bit of a learning curve to the user interface. There is a draw mode in which the user assembles their forms. There is a texture maker which allows users to draw or upload a photograph to decorate their sculpture. There there is a grab (placement) mode in which the user can place completed sculptures into augmented reality.
Cost: The app is free to download and there are no ads.
Technical Requirements: Available for iOS.
Pro’s: Once you understand the tools available, the app is fairly simple to use. There is also an undo button in case the user makes a mistake. Users can customize solid colors by adjusting a hexadecimal slider, develop simple drawings to use as a texture, or import their own textures from photographs saved on their device. Versions of these textures are saved for future use. Scaling forms is intuitive as the user simply pinches the screen (similar to zoom functions in other apps). The sculptures can also be rotated within the space so they can be viewed from multiple angles.
Con’s: The main drawback to this app is that there is no in-app recording mechanism. You will have to use the phone’s native screen capture functions instead (how to do that here). Another drawback is that there is not a way to erase textures from the library. This means that you may have quite a few to sort through if you use the app regularly. This also poses a potential problem if you are using a shared device as students/clients could see each other’s textures.
Is it worth it? The app is a good introduction to virtual sculpture for teens and adults. With the support of the screen recording function native to iOS devices users can create videos that bring their digital creations into the therapy/classroom space, their community, or other adventures into the world. The app may not be appropriate for younger users or in situations where privacy between users is critical.